A power outlet device that enables a general electronic apparatus to be used is installed in a vehicle.
The power outlet for the vehicle includes a terminal provided in a housing and a plug insertion hole provided on an exterior of the housing and inserted with a plug of an electronic apparatus. The terminal is electrically connected with a battery of the vehicle to maintain a state in which power is continuously applied to the terminal. Therefore, when the plug of the electronic apparatus is inserted through the plug insertion hole to contact the terminal, the power is immediately supplied to the plug.
Since the plug insertion hole is exposed to the outside, foreign materials or conductive materials may easily intrude into in the power outlet in the related art, and as a result, there exists a risk of an ignition or electric shock.
Therefore, in recent years, a power outlet product to which a separate operating switch is separately applied has been introduced for safety of a driver or active handling.
For example, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2010-0044876 discloses a power outlet device in which a connector presses a movable contact downward and the power is applied while the movable contact moves downward, so the fixed contact is connected.
However, as the power outlet having an operating switch in the related art has a structure in which the movable contact and the fixed contact are mechanically connected, when the movable contact and/or the fixed contact are damaged due to a mechanical or physical damage, it becomes impossible to supply the power.